These are our 10 of the best family days our near Glasgow: a list of the places that we love to go and spend the day. Our Top Ten. The places we’ve returned to again and again. Some of them are free; some of them are most definitely not. Some of them are suited to rainy days and some are better for the dry days we’ve had so many of recently. Hopefully if you visit any of them, you’ll love them as much as we do!
Category: Parks & Gardens
Falkirk Wheel Splash Park
The Falkirk Wheel splash park is so much fun. There are a couple of different parts to the splash park, plus a playpark and lots of other (paid) activities. We spent the best part of 2 hours here and could easily have stayed longer. It’s such a great place for a cool down on a hot sunny day, and best of all, it’s free!
Glasgow Botanic Gardens
The Glasgow Botanic Gardens are a lovely sanctuary in such a busy corner of the city. The playpark is fun and theres lots of space for the kids to run free. The Botanics are the perfect place to let the kids let off steam without travelling too far or spending any money. As a bonus, I get to see the gigantic cacti too!
The Kelpies
I really enjoy a trip to the Kelpies, and the kids do too. It’s outdoors, it’s free, and because the Kelpies themselves are just beautiful. The playpark is fantastic and it’s a totally wheel friendly place too.
Linlithgow Palace
Linlithgow Palace is a really fun castle to explore. It is incredibly pretty with a really interesting history. The grounds are beautiful and the walk round the loch isn’t too long or strenuous for little legs. If you take a picnic, it’s a lovely place for a day trip.
Dollar Glen & Castle Campbell
We took a trip out to Dollar Glen & Castle Campbell in the summer. It’s a great day trip if you’re looking for something totally laid back and outdoors. There’s lots of natural things to examine on the walk up the Glen, and a beautiful castle to explore when you reach the the top!
Finlaystone Country Estate
Rustic, lovely and a tiny bit magical; Finlaystone is one of my favourite finds from last year. There’s so much to entertain kids. They can let their legs and imaginations run wild. And it’s a great place to bring the dog too.
Dumfries House
Dumfries House is set in beautiful grounds. There are lots of bits to entertain kids and their Engineering Playpark (a water play area) is absolutely fantastic. We all had a blast!
Our Favourite Playparks in Glasgow
The little lady loves a good playpark. I’m a fan too – outdoors, free, energy burning – perfect activity! So I thought I’d share our favourite playparks in Glasgow (or pretty nearby).
Greenbank Gardens
My lovely friend wrote this review of her recent visit to Greenbank Gardens with her toddler and baby. Sounds like a great day out!
Whitelee Windfarm
We’ve been trying to make the best of some pretty crappy weather lately and ventured out to Whitelee Windfarm in Eaglesham. It’s rugged & picturesque, and the wind turbines are pretty grand up close. They also have a wee cafe for a post-walk warm up.
Finding the Gruffalo (in Bearsden…)
We’d heard that a Gruffalo had been spotted in the woods around Kilmardinny Loch in Bearsden, so last week we thought we’d take a trip out there to see if we could find him. Turns out[…]
Cuningar Loop
We went east today, to see and have a wander around Cuningar Loop, a new Forestry Commission park over in Rutherglen. It’s now officially open (since spring 2016). The Lowdown The project is a Commonwealth Wood, part of the[…]